My blog used to be called Nappy Valley. But now I've moved to the dizzy heights of Crystal Palace (via a spell as an expat on Long Island, New York). And my Littleboys are long out of nappies.

Thursday, 24 January 2013

Back to London with the Beckhams

Ever since Victoria Beckham and I were pregnant at the same time, I've felt a sort of affinity with her and her family. They moved to the US around the time that we did; now, they're back in London just as we are heading back ourselves. What is more, according to the Daily Mail, they are renting a house in "South London". The mind boggles at where, but I have a feeling it won't be Catford. Could VB be esconced in Nappy Valley? You never know...

What I do know is what private school the Beckham boys are at. I'm not going to reveal its name (partly out of respect for their privacy, and hell, I don't want to get sued or anything) but I know because my brother in law sends his son there. When we were having lunch with them in London, I jumped at the chance to help pick up our nephew from school, after hearing that David himself had been spotted at pickup time on more than one occasion.

Sadly he was not there that afternoon, but my nephew did reveal, unprompted, that "Romeo is already the most popular boy in the school!"

I'm wondering how Vicks is adjusting to life in London. Is she shocked by how much it costs to park your car in the capital, and that no shop has a huge parking lot behind it? (Probably not - sure she has a chauffeur). Is she wondering how to get Goldfish and Oreos for her sons in Tesco's? Will the boys lose their American accents quickly, and will they miss baseball, basketball and dodgeball? Will Harper have a problem converting from diapers to nappies? Does VB have to remember her canvas bag for groceries, because they charge you now for plastic ones? And can she remember her chip and pin number? I certainly can't.

I'd love to have a chinwag with her about coming back to Blighty. Is she excited by life in London over so many years away? I'd like to think so. Or is she looking up at the grey January sky and wishing she was back in sunny California.

Whatever, it is quite comforting to know that all the most glamorous couples are moving back to London this year.

7 comments:

Oh, I have missed your tongue-in-cheek commentary! I hope it means you are feeling a little bit better these days. I'm sure that if VB just realized how much you have in common, you'd soon be BFFs. And what *will* she do about finding Goldfish? ; )I hope the inevitable culture shock won't be too hard on the boys - kids are typically so adaptable. But I am soooo looking forward to hearing your take on it!

I hope the Doctor worked a bit harder during his time in the US than David Beckham did. If I was in the LA Galaxy team, I'd feel that there'd been some weight not pulled (though I don't follow the intricacies of soccer players' careers myself, so I'm just quoting hear-say - very irresponsible, really).

Aha! I am relying on you, NVG, to do all the hard work for me a year in advance, so that when we come back in 2014 I can just check on your blog for the pitfalls and benefits. Oh, and that's not a final situation, btw - we may still come back this year. Who knows?

Back to London - you lucky thing. I left London (Parsons Green) 20 years ago. Crikey. I love London although I also love Paris. I seem to have got stuck in France due to kids and their schooling. Bon chance on your move.

All very exciting. We once had the children of a globally famous sportsman at our school and it was mayhem. It's even worse over here because people don't allow the stars as much privacy so the parents could never come to anything without attracting a crowd. The kids also never really knew who was befriending them for genuine reasons.

When the Beckaham boys were first born they lived very close to us and often attended events in our town. Victoria, her sister (who owned a shop in our town)and their mum were often seen out and about with the children and I even have photos of mine at the local town fair on a bouncy castle with becjkham children - taken of mine not theirs. They also used to come to the denstist here and my children met David as he came out of the surgery and we were walking past. I am not "Beckham fanatical" but have seen them as normal people and parents and so hope their move goes well as does yours

About Me

I'm a business journalist, wife to The Doctor and mother to two boys. I left London's 'Nappy Valley' in 2009 for a four year sojourn in New York. Now I'm back in South London, settling into British life once again and trying not to miss the yellow schoolbus too much as I grapple with the school run.